Device for increasing the pressure or the speed of a fluid flowing within a pipe-line



Feb. 25, 1958 H. G. BARTELS 2,824,520

DEVICE FOR INCREASING THE-PRESSURE -OR THE SPEED OF A FLUID FLOWING WITHIN A PIPE-LINE Filed Nov. 3, 1953 INVEENTOVR;

United States Patent DEVICE FOR INCREASING THE PRESSURE .OR THE SPEED OF A FLUID FLOWING WITHIN A PEE-LINE Henning G. Bartels, Ploen, Holstein, Germany I Application November 3, 1953, Serial No. 390,050

Claims priority, application Germany November 10, 1952 5 Claims. (Cl. 103-87) The present invention relates to a device for temporarily increasing the pressure or speed of a fluid continuously flowing through a pipe line.

One object of the present invention is to prevent loss of pressure or reduction of speed of the fluid flowing through the pipe line while the device of the present invention is not used for increasing this pressure or speed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide for such a device, which is, when the device is not used, automatically shifted to a position in which the device causes least resistance to the fluid flowing through the pipe line.

With these objects in View the fluid moving means of the present invention for increasing the pressure or the speed of fluid continuously flowing through a pipe line comprises a casing adapted to be built into the pipe line, a plurality of impeller blades located in this casing, blade carrying means supporting these blades for rotating movement about an axis and for movement in axial direction between an operating position where the blades are adjacent the inner surface of the casing and provide substantial resistance to the flow of fluid and a rest position where the blades are located farther from the inner surface of the casing than in the operating position and provide less resistance to fluid flow than in their operating position, drive means operatively connected to the blades for rotating the same and for automatically moving the blades to the operating position thereof when they rotate above a given speed, and means automatically operating to bring the blades to the rest position thereof when they rotate below the given speed.

The drive means for the blades are preferably in the form of an electric motor, which includes a stator and a rotor mounted in the stator for axial movement between a first position in which the rotor is located entirely within this stator and a second position in which the rotor is axially displaced and located at least partly outside the stator. The rotor is moved to and held in this first position when the stator is energized by the electro-magnetic force between the stator and rotor and means are provided to urge the rotor to the second position thereof when the stator is tie-energized. Connecting means are provided between the blade carrying means and the rotor so that the blade carrying means are shifted to the working position when the rotor moves to the first position and the blade carrying means are shifted to their rest position when the rotor move to the second position.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of the device of the present invention; and

ill

2,824,520 Patented Feb. 25, 1958 Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to Figure 1 but showing the impeller blades in another position.

The device for increasing the pressure or the speed of a fluid continuously flowing through a pipe line as shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a casing 4 adapted to be built in a pipe line in which the device is to be used and through which fluid flows in the direction as indicated by the arrows in Figures 1 and 2. Impeller means 1 are located in the casing 4 spaced from the inner surface thereof to form a fluid passage between the casing and the impeller means. The impeller means 1 are connected by a shaft 5 to the rotor 3 of an electric motor, the stator of which is fixedly mounted in a housing 6 located in the casing 4. The impeller means 1, the shaft 5 and the rotor 3 are supported for turning movement about their axis and for movement in axial direction on bearings 9 respectively located at the opposite ends of the cylindrical housing 6. Thereby the impeller means 1 are movable between an operating position as shown in Figure 1 where the impeller means 1 are located adjacent the inner surface of the casing 4 and provide substantial resistance to the flow of fluid flowing through the forementioned passage between the impeller means and the casing and a rest position as shown in Figure 2 where the impeller means 1 are spaced farther from the inner surface of the casing than in the operating position and provide less resistance to the fluid flow through the passage than in the operating position. The rotor 3 of the electric motorwhich is connected to the impeller means 1 by the shaft 5 is, when the impeller means are in the operating position as shown in Figure l, in a first position in which the rotor 3 i located entirely with the stator 2 and when the impeller means 1 are in the rest position as shown in Figure 2 the rotor 3 is in a second position in which the rotor 3 is axial- 1y displaced with respect to the stator 2 and projects beyond the end of the stator 2 distant from the impeller means. An annual bell-shaped cover 8 is fixed to the impeller 1 and extends therefrom toward the housing 6 in which the electric motor is located to cover the space between the impeller 1 and the housing 6 when the impeller 1 is in the operating position as shown in Figure 1. Means, shown in the drawing in form of a compression spring 7, abutting with one end thereof against the inner end surface of the front bearing 9 and with the other end thereof against the front face of the rotor 3, are provided, which means tend to urge the rotor 3 to the second position thereof. The housing 6 in which the electro-motor is located is spaced from the outer casing 4 by spacer means 10 so that fluid may flow through the casing 4 about the housing 6.

The operation of the device seems to be self-evident from the above description of the same. When the casing 4 is built into the pipe line through which fluid flows continuously and the device is in its rest position as shown in Figure 2 in which the rotor 3 is partly pushed out of the stator 2 by the compression spring 7, the impeller 1 will be considerably spaced from the inner surface of the casing 4 and the impeller 1 will provide in this position very little resistance to the free flow of fluid through the casing 4. When the motor current is switched on and the stator 2 is energized, the electro-magnetic force created between the stator 2 and the rotor 3 will pull the rotor 3 into the stator 2 against the force of the compression spring 7 in the same manner as the armature of an electromagnet is pulled into the coil of the electro-magnet when this coil is energized. When the rotor 3 is'pulled into the position shown in Figure l the impeller 1 connected to the rotor by the shaft 5 is brought to the working position in which the blades of the impeller 1 are adjacent to the surface of the casing 4 so as to provide an eflicient pumping actionwhen the impeller is turned by the rotat;

ing rotor 3. Thereby the speed and/or pressure of the fluid flowing through the pipeline is increased. When the motor current is switched off again and the stator 2 is tie-energized, the spring 7 will push the rotor 3 again to the position as shown in Figure 2, and the impeller 1 is thereby brought to its rest position. It is mentioned that though it is preferred to accelerate the shifting of the impeller from the working position to the resting position by means of a compression spring 7 located between the front bearing 9 and the rotor 3, such a spring may also be omitted and in this case the impeller 1 will be brought from the working position to the rest position by the pressure of the fluid normally flowing through the pipe line in the direction of the arrows as indicated in Figures 1 and 2.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of fluid moving means differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in fluid moving means for increasing the pressure or the speed of the fluid continuously flowing through a pipeline, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Fluid moving means for increasing the pressure or the speed of a fluid continuously flowing through a pipeline comprising, in combination, a casing adapted to be built into the pipe-line; a plurality of impeller blades located in said casing; blade carrying means supporting said blades for rotating movement about an axis and for movement in axial direction between an operating position where said blades are adjacent the inner surface of said casing and provide substantial resistance to the flow of fluid and a rest position where said blades are located farther from the inner surface of said casing than in said operating position and provide less resistance to fluid flow than in their operating position; drive means operatively connected to said blades for rotating the same and for automatically moving said blades to said operating position thereof when they rotate above a given speed; and means automatically operating to bring said blades to said rest position thereof when they rotate below said given speed.

2. Fluid moving means for increasing the pressure or the speed of a fluid continuously flowing through a pipe line comprising, in combination, a casing adapted to be built into the pipe-line; a plurality of impeller blades located in said casing; blade carrying means supporting said blades for movement between an operating position where said blades are adjacent the inner surface of said casing and provide substantial resistance to the flow of fluid and a rest position where said blades are located farther from the inner surface of said casing than in said operating position and provide less resistance to fluid flow than in their operating position; an electric motor operatively connected to said blades for rotating the same, said electric motor including a stator having a longitudinal axis, a rotor mounted in said stator for axial movement between a first position in which said rotor is located entirely within said stator and a second position in which said rotor is axially displaced and located at least partly outside said stator, said rotor being moved to and held in said first position when said stator is energized by electromagnetic force; means urging said rotor to said second position when said stator is de-energized; and connecting means connecting said blade carrying means with said rotor to shift said blade carrying means to said working position when said rotor moves to said first position and to shift said blade carrying means into said rest position when said rotor moves to said second position.

3. Fluid moving means for increasing the pressure or the speed of a fluid continuously flowing through a pipeline comprising, in combination, a casing adapted to be built into the pipe-line; impeller means located in said casing and spaced from the inner surface thereof to form a fluid passage between said casing and said impeller means; support means for supporting said impeller means for movement between an operating position where said impeller means are located adjacent the inner surface of said casing and provide substantial resistance to the flow of fluid through said passage and a rest position where said impeller means are spaced farther from the interior of said casing than in said operating position and provide less resistance to fluid flow through said passage than in haid operating position; an electric motor operatively connected to said impeller means for rotating the same, said electric motor including a stator having a longitudinal axis, a rotor mounted in said stator for axial movement between a first position in which said rotor is located entirely within said stator and a second position in which said rotor is axially displaced and located at least partly outside said stator, said rotor being moved to and held in said first position when said stator is energized by electromagnetic force; means urging said rotor to said second position when said stator is de-energized; and connecting means connecting said impeller means with said rotor to shift said impeller means to said working position when said rotor moves to said first position and to shift said impeller means to said rest position when said rotor moves to said second position.

4. Fluid moving means for increasing the pressure or the speed of a fluid continuously flowing through a pipeline comprising, in combination, a casing adapted to be built into the pipe line; impeller means located in said casing and spaced from the inner surface thereof to form a fluid passage between said casing and said impeller means; support means for supporting said impeller means for turning movement about its axis and for movement in axial direction between an operating position where said impeller means are located adjacent the inner surface of said casing and provide substantial resistance to the flow of fluid through said passage and a rest position where said impeller means are spaced farther from the interior of said casing than in said operating position and provide less resistance to fluid flow through said passage than in said operating position; an electric motor operativcly connected to said impeller means for rotating the same, said electric motor having one end facing said impeller means and being spaced therefrom in axial direction and including a stator having a longitudinal axis, a rotor mounted in said stator for axial movement between a first position in which said rotor is located entirely within said stator and a second position in which said rotor is axially displaced and extends beyond the other end of said motor outside said stator, said rotor being moved to and held in said first position when said stator is energized by electromagnetic force; means urging said rotor to said second position when said stator is tie-energized; and connecting means connecting said impeller means with said rotor to shift said impeller means to said working position when said rotor moves to said first position and to shift said impeller means to said rest position towards said one end of said motor when said rotor moves to said second position.

5. Fluid moving means for increasing the pressure or the speed of a fluid continuously flowing through a pipeline comprising, in combination, a casing adapted to be built into the pipe-line; impeller means located in said casing and spaced from the inner surface thereof to form a fluid passage between said casing and said impeller means; support means for supporting said impeller means for turning movement about its axis and for movement in axial direction between an operating position where said impeller means are located adjacent the inner surface of said casing and provide substantial resistance to the flow of fluid through said passage and a rest position where said impeller means are spaced farther from the interior of said casing than in said operating position and provide less resistance to fluid flow through said passage than in said operating position; an electric motor operatively connected to said impeller means for rotating the same, said electric motor having one end facing said impeller means and being spaced therefrom in axial direction and including a stator having a longitudinal axis, a rotor mounted in said stator for axial movement between a first position in which said rotor is located entirely within said stator and a second position in which said rotor is axially displaced and extends beyond the other end of said motor outside said stator, said rotor being moved to and held in said first position when said stator is energized by electromagnetic force; annular cover means fixed to said impeller means and extending therefrom toward said electric motor to cover the space between said impeller means and said motor when said impeller means is in said operating position; means urging said rotor to said second position when said stator is de-energized; and connecting means connecting said impeller means with said rotor to shift said impeller means to said working position when said rotor moves to said first position and to shift said impeller means to said rest position towards said one end of said motor when said rotor moves to said second position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,290,521 Crowhurst Jan. 7, 1919 1,835,284 Crowhurst Dec. 8, 1931 2,005,852 Broderick June 25, 1935 2,075,498 Bondurant Mar. 30, 1937 2,324,650 Stepanoif July 20, 1943 2,382,108 Seewer Aug. 14, 1945 2,692,080 Schwaiger Oct. 19, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 364,732 Germany Jan. 24, 1922 457,581 Canada June 28, 1949 

